Papilloma or not?

[tlc70]

My right nipple started bleeding on its own and then water started coming out of the center. Then a few days later a had a bump come up beside my nipple. This hurts like crazy. I feel like my nipple is going to fall off. I have a mammogram and ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow. I haven't read that anyone experiences pain with papillomas. Does this sound like a papilloma or something more serious?

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  A more common explanation for the bleeding, discharge and pain in your nipple is not a papilloma but a breast infection (mastitis).  The mammogram and breast ultrasound would certainly help, but sometimes a prompt trial of antibiotics is all it takes to manage this condition.  Of course, a bloody nipple discharge should be checked for the possibility of malignancy, but I think an infection should really be ruled out first.